Your calorie intake is probably the most important piece of information you need to determine when undergoing a weight loss program. Unfortunately, the number most people come up with is wrong from the start. To keep you from making a huge mistake before you even get going, you’ll need to understand how to calculate your calorie intake the right way.

How Many Calories Do I Need?

There are a couple of different ways you can use to calculate your calorie intake, and each one has its pros and cons. The more accurate you want the number to be, the more time and effort you will have to put into determining your calorie intake.

Regardless of which method you choose to use, these numbers are only starting points. That means adjustments will have to be made based on your body’s feedback and whether you immediately start losing weight or not.

Simple Estimation

A very easy way to determine your intake is to take your body weight in pounds and multiply it by 10-12.… Continue Reading

Getting fit is a goal for millions of people every year, and tens of thousands research how to lose weight every single day. Unfortunately, many people have no idea where to even start. The topic of weight loss has become very confusing. But wait, all you have to do is eat less and move more, right? Well, yes, but while it’s an easy concept to grasp, it’s not so easy to practice.

The Definitive Guide for Losing Weight

I created this guide for losing weight because I wanted a central location for all the information you’re going to need to reach your weight loss goals. If you like what you read, please bookmark the page, link to it from your own blog, and share it with your friends and family.

Because this guide is long (5,647 words to be exact), I’ve created a table of contents so that you can jump around to the sections you want. I recommend you read the whole guide from start to finish, but if you want to go back and review some of the info,… Continue Reading

Stalled weight loss can happen for any number of reasons, but there’s a good chance your weight loss troubles fall under one or more of the following 20 reasons for not losing weight.

You Just Started

Your body undergoes many new changes when you start a fitness program. If you went from eating processed food and couch potato to healthy eating and extremely active, it’s entirely possible you won’t lose a single pound the first couple of weeks. Increased muscle glycogen capacity in response to more exercise is a big reason people don’t see weight loss at first.

Working out but gaining weight? Here’s why…

You’re Being Impatient

It’s been a month and you’ve lost 4 pounds. Great! Or is it? To many, this is a failure. They aren’t getting back what they put in. Give it some time. Get it out of your mind that weight loss is a week to week event. Be happy about what you’ve accomplished. Progress… Continue Reading

We asked, and you delivered. Thank you to all who contributed. Literally hundreds of tips were emailed in and posted on Facebook. All of the tips were compiled, and a common pattern began to take shape. Here they are – 20 of the best healthy weight loss tips from people who have lost over 50 pounds.

Drink Water

One of the biggest common denominators among people who lost over 50 pounds is they all switched over to drinking predominantly water. They gave up the sodas and sugary drinks and instead quenched their thirst with water. This tip alone helped hundreds of people lose weight.

Keep a Food Journal

Write down everything that goes into your mouth. Most people were surprised to see how much they were actually eating. It wasn’t until they wrote it down that they began to realize the cause and effect of what they were putting into their bodies. Journaling changes your eating from mindless to mindful.

Count Calories

Building muscle is not as easy as most people think. It takes hard work, planning, and an awareness of what stimulates muscle growth. The following 10 tips will help you take your fitness program to the next level.

Eat Your Protein

If you want to maintain a positive nitrogen balance and increase protein synthesis, you must get in enough protein. The FDA only recommends 0.8 grams/kg for protein intake, yet study after study shows the benefits and lack of side effects from an intake of 1 gram/lb of body weight [1] [2].

Given the importance of protein in everything from building muscle, to neurotransmitter production, to being a structural component to every cell in your body, it only makes sense to ensure you aren’t too low on this essential macronutrient.

Use Compound Movements

Doing curls can build you some biceps, but heavy rowing movements like barbell rows and pullups/chinups will really make your arms pop. If you want a better butt and legs,… Continue Reading

The majority of the time when you’re having a problem losing weight, it’s not because you aren’t making good food choices. The reason why your weight loss has stagnated is because you’re not eating enough calories to lose weight.

What Happens When You’re Not Eating Enough Calories?

When most people start dieting, they slash their calories and add a large amount of exercise to their daily routine. That’s fine, but they usually cut their calories way too low. Add in the extra exercise, and all of a sudden you have an extreme calorie deficit that is working against you.

Not eating enough calories causes many metabolic changes. Your body is a smart machine and senses a large decrease in dietary energy. Your large calorie deficit might work for a few days or even weeks, but eventually your body will wake up and sound alarms that it needs to conserve energy.

Do you want to know how to lose 10 pounds in a month? Follow this simple how-to guide, and the fat will be gone in 30 days.

First of all, if you’re trying to lose this weight in a month, you’re already on the right track. Most people are looking for the quick fix – wanting to lose 10 pounds in a week or even days. While 10 pounds in a week is certainly attainable, the chances of that weight loss being all fat are slim to none.

Lose 10 Pounds in a Month – The Diet

Your nutrition is going to have the biggest impact on reaching your goals. Here are your dietary guidelines (you can download a free 1 week sample meal plan below that puts all these guidelines into effect):

Drink at least 1 gallon of water a day (drink a full glass of water upon waking)

10-20% of your calories can be “free” calories to prevent over-restriction

.6-.8 grams of protein per pound of body mass divided somewhat evenly into each meal

Are you falling for the same fitness myths as everyone else? Here are the top 10 fitness myths you need to forget you’ve ever heard.

Women Shouldn’t Lift Weights Because They’ll Bulk Up

This is a very real fear for most women. They fear that lifting weights will bulk them up and make them look manly. These fears are unfounded.

Women lack comparable amounts of the important muscle building hormone – testosterone. Because of this, it makes it more difficult to put on muscle. The pictures you see of women that are starting to take on the characteristics of men are usually on hormones. For the average female, lifting weights does a body good.

You Burn the Most Fat in the Fat Burning Zone

This fitness myth is finally dying a slow death. There was always so much confusion with this because you do in fact burn more fat in the fat burning zone. However, this is only one piece of the puzzle. You burn a higher percentage of fat in the fat burning… Continue Reading

I am deeply disturbed by the state of our food industry. The countless advertising tricks that are used to persuade us to buy their products are out of control. Food manufacturers and marketers are pushing the limits of what is considered truth and what is considered a simple technicality. Take a look at these 10 products that I found shopping the grocery store. Understand how marketers use these tricks to persuade you.

Less Sugar – Reduced Sugar Heinz Ketchup

The first trick has to do with the common “reduced sugar”, or “less sugar” slogan. Reduced sugar Heinz ketchup only has 1 gram of sugar per serving. That’s 75% less sugar than their regular ketchup. Who wouldn’t want to pick this product over the regular one? After all, sugar is unhealthy, and if you have the choice of less sugar or more sugar, you’d probably choose the one with less.